How Interior Designers can work during Covid-19

Interior Designers face a lot of challenges during the normal course of time. Given the current situation of the pandemic of Covid-19, the industry is going to suffer a lot due to various reasons. But if we follow certain things and come together to fight the challenges, we can overcome many obstacles.

What all can be done? How will the business run? How to handle the clients? how to handle and educate the labour? Well, lets just check out the answers to many such questions.

• The world is online: As everyone of us need to follow social distancing for a very long time now, it is a better decision to have maximum meetings with the clients online. This way, you minimise the human interaction and hence chances of being infected are less.
Interact with the labour through video calls and have a live streaming of the work in progress. In case you do not have a stable internet connection, have a video shot of work in progress that can be shared with the client as well as the designer over a common platform so that the discussions are easy.

• Get into details: Always prepare a detailed work schedule and prepare a detailed working drawing before commencing any work at site so that you may not have to run around for the last-minute changes.

• Buy Local: Buy local stuff. Get artwork from local artists, buy planters from local vendors, get traditional accent pieces for your clients. Small things make a big difference.

• Collaborate: You have been working all on your own. Great! But now its time to collaborate as you cannot handle sites at multiple locations because practically its unsafe to travel different cities. So, collaborate with local designers and execute your projects. You might have to share your revenue but at least you are working!!

• Follow your trend: Use materials that you have been using for a longer time and are aware of its touch, feel and finishes. At this time of Covid-2019, it is not advised to browse the catalogues and try new materials unless you are sure of sanitisation. So, go by your own trend for choosing materials.

• Educate your staff: Always remember that your work is nothing without your labour. So, support your staff, educate them to stay safe and follow social distancing. At last, life has to move on.

With very few precautions and a clear mindset, Interior designing industry can work well. All we need is to support each other to grow and show the true qualities of leadership.
© Vibhuti Love